Vintage 1980s Black Persian Lamb Fur Coat: Reichlin, Ellin & Levin XS

Vintage 1980s black Karakul or Persian lamb coat from Hartford furriers Reichlin, Ellin & Levin features a striking emerald satin lining, for eyecatching impact every time the coat is put on or taken off.

The long-sleeved, high-necked coat has two onseam handwarmer pockets and a slightly A-line cut to subtly ease the slim, elegant silhouette. It closes from neck to waist with four furrier hooks, and inner ties on a lining seam allow the fit to be adjusted further, as different weight garments are worn underneath.

The vibrant green lining is jacquarded with stylized gust-of-wind designs, in black to match the richly moiréd fur. It has a scarf pocket along the right placket edge of the coat.

Label reads: “Reichlin, Ellin & Levin; Quality Furriers since 1917, Hartford”, and the lining is monogrammed with the owner’s initials.

Founded by Russian immigrants Nathan Reichlin and Jacob Levin(e), the company was restructured and renamed more than once before the mid-1940s, before splitting into two separate firms: “Reichlin Furriers” (owned by Nathan and his sons Saul and Benjamin) and “Ellin & Levin” (owned by Jacob Levin and Harry Ellin). In 1980, after Jacob’s retirement, the two companies merged together again, into “Reichlin, Ellin & Levin”, but then merged with a new furrier in 1989, to form “Reichlin/George Bros. Furs”. Thus, the label on this coat clearly dates it to the 1980s.